Waltham High, Bentley grads witness U.S. World Cup win 

A lucky draw in FIFA’s World Cup ticket lottery sent four longtime friends, connected through Waltham High School and Bentley University, to Seattle to watch the United States beat Australia. 

Matt Milmore and Matt Cedrone, both Waltham residents and Waltham High School graduates, joined friends Ryan “Dunk” Dressel of Philadelphia and Kelley Ross of Connecticut at Seattle’s Lumen Field to watch a young U.S. squad dominate the Aussies in a 2-0 victory. 

All four friends graduated from Bentley University, which is now serving as the official team base camp for the French National Team, who are cup favorites.

Milmore and Cedrone both played for the WHS boys soccer team from 2001 to 2005 under coach Kelvin Bernard and captained the Hawks as seniors. One of their favorite memories was a draw against Everett, then one of the top-ranked teams in the state. Cedrone now coaches with Waltham Youth Soccer. 

After the World Cup matches were announced, all four marked Dec. 11 as soccer D-Day. That was the date of FIFA’s Random Selection Draw, the official ticket lottery for purchasing World Cup tickets at face value. 

They each applied for four tickets per match and hoped for the best. With thousands of soccer fans doing the same, they didn’t have high hopes. It came as a huge surprise two months later when Dressel called the others with the good news — he was selected and had four tickets in hand for two cup games.

They booked tickets to Seattle the next day, and soon found themselves immersed in one of the world’s biggest sporting events. 

“I’ve attended some unforgettable sporting events including the Red Sox World Series-clinching win at Fenway in 2013, the Bruins’ first game after the Marathon bombing, and Rob Gronkowski’s three-touchdown win over Pittsburgh. But this World Cup topped them all,” Cedrone said. “The atmosphere, the passion and then energy around the stadium was extraordinary. It was the best sporting event of my life.”

With the win, the U.S. Men’s National Team advanced to the knockout round after winning their first two Group D matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

The trip isn’t over yet. 

The foursome will head to Gillette Stadium on Friday to watch France take on Norway in another World Cup group-stage match. 

Dressel is looking forward to game two, and isn’t shy about their lucky draw. “I’ve reminded them a few times about who won the raffle, but I’m happy to share the experience with good friends,” he said.

Disclosure: Matt Milmore, who is featured in this story, is the son of Waltham Times editor Steve Milmore.